


Heaven In a Wildflower

by carolinecrane



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-06
Updated: 2012-05-06
Packaged: 2017-11-04 22:43:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/399012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/pseuds/carolinecrane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick's always been a little naïve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heaven In a Wildflower

**Author's Note:**

> Post-ep for 2.08, "Slaves of Las Vegas".

It wasn't his fault. Most days he could handle it, he could do his job and ignore the fact that he was surrounded by so many really hot people. And he was starting to wonder if there was some kind of attractiveness clause in the Clark County hiring guidelines, because the amount of hotness really was off the charts. 

Sara, Warrick, Catherine, Nick...especially Nick, and especially today. Even Grissom could be considered attractive, if you could get past the weird, encyclopedic knowledge of bugs and his unnerving ability to make Greg feel like a complete idiot. And okay, not _everyone_ who worked for Clark County was ridiculously attractive, but the ratio was pretty high considering. 

Most of the time he could ignore it – enjoy it, even, because he was the type of guy who appreciated a little eye candy, it was a pretty nice job perk. But when Nick strolled into his lab smelling so good and just – _leaned_ into him, hovering over his shoulder like he couldn't get close enough to Greg, it became a problem. 

Maybe it was all the talk about that sex club they were investigating. Maybe it was the mention of chains. It could have been having to explain to Nick in small words exactly what liquid latex was, and it just figured a guy like Nick wouldn't know. Greg had always thought of him as the vanilla type – that much was pretty clear from his weird chivalrous streak – but he'd never let himself _think_ about it until he found himself explaining to Nick exactly what people did with body paint.

Picturing Nick in nothing but liquid latex – Nick in chains and a blindfold, and Greg didn't usually bend in that particular direction, but for Nick...for Nick he was pretty sure he'd try a lot of things even he normally wouldn't do. Not that there was much he wouldn't try at least once, and the thought of introducing someone like Nick to things he'd never done before was too much. He was hard almost the second Nick leaned into him, and by the time Nick finally took the hint and backed off it was way too late. If he'd stood up then even Nick wouldn't have missed the effect he was having on Greg, and if that happened...

He wasn't sure what Nick would do if he found out Greg wanted him. Nothing, maybe, but knowing him he'd probably feel like he had to find a way to let Greg down gently. He'd probably pull Greg aside, maybe in the locker room or one of the empty work rooms, and explain to him that he was flattered, but it just wasn't going to happen. Ever. Because he flirted, sure, but that was just Nick's way of being friendly, and Greg wasn't naïve enough to think it actually meant anything.

Most of the time he really believed that, but on days like today, when Nick leaned in to peer over his shoulder, chest pressed against Greg's back and his breath on Greg's cheek...there was no way he could defend himself against that kind of assault. And the worst part was that Nick had no idea what he was doing, no clue how close Greg was to twisting in his chair and grabbing the back of Nick's neck, pulling him down for a kiss before he had a chance to react. 

And even if all he ever got was a kiss it would be worth it, because he'd watched Nick's mouth enough to know he was a hell of a kisser. There were some things Greg didn't even question – he knew Nick thought of himself as a gentleman, he knew everybody else thought he was too compassionate, and he knew Nick could kiss. He had a feeling he'd never find out from first-hand experience, but that never stopped him from thinking about it.

Now wasn't the time to be thinking about Nick's mouth, though, because Greg had already narrowly escaped one embarrassing incident in the lab, and the last thing he needed was for Nick to start wondering why he was so jumpy. He hadn't asked why Greg was suddenly so protective of his personal space earlier, but Greg knew if he kept it up that Nick would start wondering. That was the problem with professional investigators – they always thought they knew when something was up. 

A wry grin turned up the corners of his mouth at the unintentional pun, and he pulled his lab coat a little closer in front and focused his attention on the evidence he was supposed to be processing. He'd nearly managed to push all thoughts of Nick to the back of his mind when the lab door swung open, and he didn't even have to look up to know who it was. It was just his luck that Nick would show up when Greg was trying not to think about him, still smelling amazing and looking...a little unnerved.

"Hey," Greg said, looking Nick up and down as he crossed the room to stop next to Greg. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Nick answered, and Greg watched as he shook off the worst of the bewildered expression. "Just a heavy case, that's all."

Greg nodded and looked down to hide his smile; Nick was the most naïve guy he'd ever met, and most of the time he found it sort of endearing. Every so often it got so frustrating he wanted to scream, but usually it was just kind of cute. "Not your usual scene?"

Nick shook his head automatically, but a second later Greg's words sank in and the bewildered expression was back. "Just when I think I've seen everything, you know? I mean this job...people do weird shit to each other all the time, and I keep thinking I'm used to it. Then something like this happens and I wonder what the hell is wrong with people. You should have seen that place...the girls, and the things these guys were paying them to do."

He shuddered visibly at the memory, and Greg felt guilty for wanting to laugh. Only Nick would move to Las Vegas and expect everybody there to act the same way they did in whatever Texas suburb he grew up in. He had to be the most sheltered kid in his neighborhood – possibly the entire state of Texas. 

"You know, there's nothing wrong with a little bondage, as long as everybody's having a good time. The key is making sure you know what you're getting into so things don't go too far." At Nick's horrified expression Greg realized what he'd said, and he shook his head and looked back down at his microscope. "Not that _I'm_ into that kind of thing. I'm just saying, it's not as weird as it looks from the outside."

And he couldn't believe he was actually standing there explaining bondage to Nick Stokes. The guy had been in a fraternity, he should have done all this stuff in college. At the very least he should be used to the concept of being blindfolded and bound, at the mercy of his frat brothers. That was the kind of thing that happened during rush week, wasn't it? Greg had never actually pledged a frat, but he'd seen enough movies and heard enough stories to put two and two together.

Picturing Nick tied up and blindfolded in a room full of guys was a bad idea, though, because now Greg was hard again. He was trying not to wonder if the reason Nick was so freaked out by the sex club was because he was really disturbed by what turned some people on, or if he was maybe just a little turned on by it himself. There was no way he was going to ask, though, because they weren't really friends and even though he was more comfortable with Nick that he was with most of the CSIs, there were a few lines he knew better than to cross. 

"So you've done stuff like that?"

Okay, so maybe Nick didn't have a problem crossing those lines with him. Greg felt his cheeks color and for a few seconds he pretended to be engrossed in his evidence just so he wouldn't have to look at Nick when he answered. He thought about lying, saying he'd heard some stuff but he'd never actually tried it. There had to be a reason Nick was asking such personal questions, though, and if he wanted to know Greg didn't really have anything to lose by telling him. 

Finally he shrugged and looked up, hoping Nick wouldn't notice just what this conversation was doing to him. "I'll try anything once," he said, grinning like it was no big deal. "Like I said, it's not really my thing, but under the right circumstances it can be really hot."

For a second Nick just stared at him, and Greg found himself wishing he'd lied and said no. He told himself it didn't really matter to him if Nick thought he was a freak. Everybody in the lab thought he was a little weird, but the thought of Nick avoiding him just because he'd admitted to a little experimentation...he wasn't sure how he'd deal with it if Nick started avoiding him. "Look, Nick..."

"So...who'd you do this with, exactly?" Nick asked, talking right over Greg as though he hadn't even heard him. And just for a second something flashed in his eyes – lust, maybe, because there was no way Greg was going to let himself believe that was jealousy – that went right to Greg's cock. 

"Somebody I used to date in college," Greg answered, choosing his words carefully as he forced himself to hold Nick's gaze. There was no way he was going to mess this up by admitting too much, but if it turned out that Nick was interested...he wasn't sure he'd ever get to the actual sex, because he might just die of a heart attack before Nick even kissed him. "The important thing is that you trust the person."

"So you trusted this girl?"

And okay, now Nick was definitely fishing. Greg felt his cheeks flush but he forced himself to hold Nick's gaze, sending up a quick prayer that he wasn't about to fuck up everything before he answered. "I didn't say anything about a girl."

He wasn't sure what kind of reaction to expect. Judging by the way Nick's eyes darkened when he asked who Greg had let tie him up he had a feeling Nick was interested, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions that would get him in trouble. He liked Nick, liked joking around with him and liked the way Nick included him on his cases sometimes. Nick valued his opinion as a colleague, and that was more important to Greg than Nick wanting to fuck him. 

Then again, he'd never actually fucked Nick before, so there was always the chance he'd change his mind.

It felt like forever before Nick finally answered, nodding his head slowly like he was still turning over Greg's revelation in his mind. Then he smiled, one corner of his mouth turning up in a lopsided little grin that made Greg's heart skip a beat. His _heart_ , and he was in way too far over his head already. "Listen, I need to get back to work."

"Yeah, sure," Greg answered, ignoring the flash of confusion and disappointment when Nick took a step backwards. For a second he'd been so sure...but it was just wishful thinking, and he knew better. "If you see anything interesting at that club be sure to let me know."

Nick returned his grin with a smile that made Greg's knees weak on a good day, and after their conversation he had to grip the side of the lab station hard just to stay on his feet. "I was thinking maybe we could finish our conversation over breakfast. If you're not busy."

In a million years he never would have expected to end the day with Nick Stokes asking him out – _him_ , as if that made any sense when Nick could have anybody he wanted – but there was no way he was passing up what might be his only chance. 

"Yeah, sure," he answered, relaxing into a real smile as Nick backed toward the door. He waited until Nick's hand was on the glass before he called the other man's name just to watch Nick turn toward him again. "I'll bring the latex."


End file.
